Facing Reality

There is no easy way to come face to face to reality, especially the one we hope never to see in our lifetime. We dream, work towards and hope to get what we want and need but sometimes it’s never meant to be. Meeting face to face to reality is shattering at times, breaking us up into a million pieces making us wonder if we should pick the pieces again, mend ouselves and dare try again.

What kind of things would you consider to dare try again? What are the ones you would give up?

The Treasure of a Mom

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who in one way or another have earned this title.

To me my mother is one of my most precious treasures,she not only cared and raised me but she has also been my guide, support and consolation. An example of how love involves sacrifice and self-giving. I wish her many more years among those she love with health and may the Lord shower her today with his blessings.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Knowing the Truth

“We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.” — Blaise Pascal

Knowing and accepting the truth are two different things, two different processes.

Many of us have known our truth for a very long time but managed to deny it for a lifetime. It doesn’t bother us as we quickly live our life for those around us, while busily keeping up with the flow of our daily life and responsabilities. It is so easy to forget that we even exist while we are wrapped into so many other activities. When our life begins to slow down a little it’s when we take the time to look around and within and we begin to feel the emptiness and sadness.

The only way to fill that emptiness and get rid of our sadness is to learn to love ourself, put ourself in the map of our life for once. Stand firm on the knowlege of our self-worth based on our own self-love not the love we get from others and watch how our life unfolds before us. Accepting the good with the bad, that’s life, and realize that nothing ever stays the same, that’s the truth.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

The Gift of Nature

Noise, conversations, arguments, phones, TV, I can’t take it most of the time. I need to walk to my backyard and breathe the fresh air, to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the coolness of the grass under my feet.

Yesterday was no different, I step out at one point of the other during the day, and in the late afternoon the sun was still warm enough to be out for a while. I was barefooted and walked around over the green grass as I checked each and every tree. The lime tree is packed, the mangoe tree huge but not sign of fruit yet, the almond tree was hit by the last cold front and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to revive it. The breeze played with the palm trees who are looking so healthy now and the pond is looking pretty dry since we had no rain for over week. I got close to the edge of the pond and sat on the grass, before I knew it I laid down looking up the clear sky. The birds flew around landing on the branches of the trees behind the pond, the wind softly caressed my skin, I breathed deep in and out as I thanked God for this heaven on earth that he created for me, for you, for all of us. I’m sure that if someone sees me they will ask themselves what the heck am I’m doing laying on the grass with no blanket, but I need to feel the earth make contact with my body and somehow absorb its energy. As I move to look around I hear the grass crunching under the weight of my body and from time to time I hear the birds singing and sudden sounds coming from the preserve. I worry that it can be a bobcat or some other wild animal so I remained alert.

I wished I could just close my eyes and take a nap right there.

There is a reason for all of this beauty to surround us, to uplift our mind and soul to the divine, to nurture all our senses.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Quote Day

Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never. — Charles Caleb Colton

What is your experience with this?

Being Born an Individual

“You have to avoid being just one of the crowd and instead take the chance of being born an individual.” from Dark Nights of the Soul by Thomas Moore

How hard is it to change directions in life, to make adjustments, to recreate oneself? We become accostumed to what has been part of our routine and stability ignoring the fact that in time we have become stagnant, unhappy and unsatisfied. In three words, We Stop Growing(WSG). To pretend to live our life in the same manner all the time is not logical. Our daily experiences and challenges transform us into a more developed and whole individual.

Dark nights plunges us into the depths of our being pressing us into exploring what needs to be changed or revealed. For years we have gone along with the social circles and what is expected of us. We learn quickly how to integrate ourselves with the rest of society, which is good, but in the process we forget how not to lose our individuality. Individuality based on our self-knowledge along with well rooted human and spiritual principles are the key to our well-being and happiness.

“Speaking of human nature also reminds us that there is a unity and solidarity belonging to the whole human race. For this reason, man is to be considered “in the full truth of his existence, of his personal being and also of his community and social being” (Encyclical Redemptor hominis, n. 14).” excerpt from MAN’S DIGNITY STEMS FROM HIS SPIRITUAL NATURE

Some people manage to make manifest their individuality sooner than others, like Albert Einstein who at 15 years old realized that he had to make his own way in the world. I believe that’s the reason why he was able accomplish so much and benefit society with his own individual development; because he began to live early on, the life destined to him.

It is a shame that most of us spend half our life before we find ourselves before the path we need to decide to walk on. When life becomes unbearable because we have denied our self-realization we often find ourselves at a crossroads, in that moment our whole being screams to be born again. It’s the divine calling us to become who we were meant to be before is too late. It is the awakening from the numbness created by a life full of everyone’s goals and dreams but our own.

I truly believe that education should be based upon the Liberal Arts, in it our minds are developed to analyze, absorb and integrate our individual human capabilities given to us by God into whatever field our work will contribute and ultimately benefit humanity.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

In Difficult Times…

Who doesn’t go through difficult times in life? It could last a moment, hours, days, years or a lifetime. I always look for ways by which I can hold on to hope during those moments. Sweet reminders of better times always uplift the spirit and sustain the heart’s longing for happiness. Tapping into our good memories help us move along life while we wait for circumstances to begin to work their way out of our present difficulties.

Difficult times are nothing more than times where we have the chance to exercise some of our virtues; patience and temperance among others. The more we lack certain virtues the more opportunities we get to develop them. When we have No Patience it seems like out of the woods come circumstances to put it to the test. Life is a big lesson, the sooner we learn the quicker we move along our personal path to accomplish our earthly mission.

What do you do during difficult times?

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Where did it come from?

You ask me where do my words and inspiration come from and I tell you they come from my heart. The moment I feel free to express what lies within without masking a thing, words flow like a river. Feelings, emotions, memories and dreams ignate the landscape I love to walk on as I begin to write. That’s the way our life should be, sincere and spontaneous. We tend to hide behind walls to protect ourselves, pretend we are someone we are not, look for acceptance and wait for approval. Nobody can be real after all of these actions, we need to let others know who we are and live in our God given uniqueness which is our treasure to share with the world.

To you who read my words, who share your thoughts, who let me know how my words stir your mind and soul, I thank you. It is in that interchange that I feel more confident to express what lies within my soul and you somehow identify with me. It’s the unbelievable gift of words that makes relationship flourish and expand our horizons. Our intellect continues to grow, reach and touch as we move along our life and into the life of others. I thank you for visiting me in my blog, reading my books and for welcoming me as a guest as well. There is no greater honor than to be ushered into one’s life even if for a brief moment because when two souls cross path they are forever changed by the experience.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Touching Lives

Yesterday more than ever my conviction that words are meaningful and worth developing in ministry to touch lives has been confirmed. From writing to speaking they are able to move, stimulate, and transform.

A lady at church called me aside to let me know how much my book, Simplicity, Richness of Life meant to her. She got an idea right out of the book to help her create a special room at home to help her spiritual life. The overall theme of the book helped her put a lot of things in her life into perspective. It is at moments like these that I’m thankful to be able to express myself with words. I love to write about my experiences, my earthly journey, my questions in life, my dreams and desires. Everyone has them but each and everyone one of us has a uniqueness within it.

While the written word can be powerful, spoken words also can stir our mind and soul while listening. Yesterday was the first day that my daughter served as a lector, some people congratulated her on the excellent job she did. She was articulate, clear and revealed a lot of her intelligence reading the word of God. To me is not to get attention towards what we do as individuals but about using our God given talents in a positive manner and I’m always trying to find those special gifts in my kids to direct them in their ministries.

Back to the theme of touching lives, right now I am trying to first of all find a way in which I can express myself better than I have in the past. In order to do so I need to be clear about so many things and I am a work in progress, we all are. My life experiences keep changing, molding and transforming my mind and soul. My hope is that I manage to convey my thoughts, feelings and ideas in order to continue growing as an individual. Maybe there are lot of people out there trying to do the same.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life